


Let Love In

by shessocold



Series: I Told I'd Always Love You, I Always Did, I Always Will [4]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Best Friends, Dragon Pox, Family Issues, Fluff, Hogwarts, Hogwarts Third Year, M/M, Marauders Friendship, Marauders' Era, Mother-Son Relationship, POV Remus Lupin, Pining, Pre-Relationship, Pre-Slash, Sick Character, Sickfic, Sirius Black & James Potter Friendship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-06
Updated: 2018-04-06
Packaged: 2019-04-19 10:43:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,186
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14235543
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shessocold/pseuds/shessocold
Summary: There are things about Sirius that only Remus understands.





	Let Love In

"Sirius, mate, that's a _gigantic_ zit you've got there on your neck."

"Sod off," says Sirius, thickly, through a mouthful of bacon. "Besides, you're one to talk." 

"Yeah, well, at least mine aren't green," says James, his face now inches from Sirius' neck. "Seriously, that is pretty disgusting. Stick a plaster over it or something." 

"Wait, did you say it's _green_?" says Peter, in a slightly alarmed tone. "A green zit?" 

"Yeah, green-ish, why?" 

Peter swallows. He looks like he's on the verge of fleeing the table. 

"Spit it out, Peter, whatever it is," says Sirius, in that bored tone that he never seems to use with James or Remus, no matter how inane their contributions to the conversation. "The suspense is killing me." 

Peter swallows again. 

"Well, I mean, don't you think it could be...?" 

** 

"Definitely dragon pox, yes, Potter," says McGonagall. "And no, you most certainly can't see him, unless you've already had dragon pox yourself — and I'll be needing a letter from your mother attesting that you have, in that case, because I really don't think you can be trusted on this." 

"But Professor... !" 

"That was my final word, Potter. I'm sure you and Black can survive a couple of weeks apart, unpleasant as the idea might sound. Now go, this is no reason for you to be late for Professor Slughorn's class." 

"Yes, Professor," says James, recognizing defeat. "Will you let us know how he's doing, though?" 

McGonagall's face softens slightly. 

"Yes, Potter, I will. Now run along — and you, Pettigrew. Lupin, please stay, I need a word." 

"A word?" repeats Remus, vaguely alarmed. 

"Yes. Do sit down," says McGonagall, and she waits for James and Peter to close the door behind them before speaking again. "Lupin, would you like to go visit Black after class? I reckon he could use some cheering up." 

Remus swallows, conflicted. 

"I— Professor, I haven't had dragon pox," he admits eventually. "I'm sorry." 

"It doesn't matter, Lupin," says McGonagall, and her tone is almost tender. "Madam Pomfrey assures me that your, well, _condition_ makes you immune to most magical afflictions, dragon pox included. It should be quite safe for you to visit Black, if you so wish." 

** 

"Really? _Completely_ immune?" 

"Yeah, apparently," says Remus, doing his best not to sound like he's gloating. "Don't worry, I'll be sure sure to let Sirius know that you two weaklings say hi." 

"Git," says James, but he's grinning. "I have a bunch of Chocolate Frogs that you can bring him." 

"But what if the germs get on Remus' clothes and he brings them back to our dormitory with him?" 

James rolls his eyes. 

"Moony, you know what, for the sake of Peter's sanity — maybe you should go see Sirius in the nude." 

Remus grins. 

** 

"Hey." 

Sirius opens his eyes slowly. They're shiny and swollen and rimmed with red, and the sight of them makes Remus' heart contract painfully. Sirius grins weakly. 

"Moony," he says, his voice hoarse, "how come they let you in? I thought I was supposed to be quarantined." 

"Turns out that werewolves don't get sick," says Remus, drawing a chair up to the side of Sirius' bed. "That, or McGonagall secretly wants to kill me. James and Peter say hi, and to enjoy these." 

"Chocolate frogs!" says Sirius, but Remus can tell that his enthusiasm is not particularly genuine. "Brilliant. Thank you." 

"How are you? Do you have a fever?" 

Sirius shrugs. 

"I don't know, Madam Pomfrey hasn't been around to see me in a while. My head is killing me, though," he says, and he leans back against his pillow. Next to the immaculate white infirmary bedding, his face looks positively green. Remus is seized by a sudden impulse to brush the hair away from Sirius' sweaty brow. 

"You don't look too bad, honestly," he says instead. "McGonagall said that it's just a mild case, and that you shouldn't scar at all, provided you don't scratch yourself. Maybe I can go ask Madam Pomfrey for something to make your headache go away?" 

"No, please, stay," says Sirius, suddenly agitated, and he grabs Remus' wrist. "I don't want to be alone. I'm afraid they're going to ship me off to St Mungo's. I don't want to go to hospital, Moony. Please don't let them. Please." 

"Nobody is going to take you anywhere, Sirius, I promise," says Remus, in the most soothing tone he can manage — which is to say, basically an impression of his mum's bedside manners. Sirius' hand on his wrist is hot and clammy and just about the nicest thing he's ever felt in his entire life. "I'll stay as long as you want me to. Why don't you rest your eyes for a bit, lo— er, mate?" 

"All right," says Sirius, without letting go of Remus' wrist. "But you stay right here, Moony." 

"Of course," says Remus, and this time he actually does brush Sirius' hair back with his free hand. 

"Thank you," says Sirius, in a low, grateful voice. "Your hand is cool, I love it. How was class?" 

"Same as usual. We missed you lots, though. Honestly, I'm not sure that James is going to make it." 

Sirius chuckles softly. 

"Understandable. Tell him to stage a Quidditch accident and join me." 

"Oh, am I not enough, now? Good to know." 

Sirius grins. 

"No, see, that would be for his benefit, not mine." 

"All right, nice save." 

"On my honour, Moony, there's nobody else I'd rather have here, not even my— _Mother!_ " 

Remus' turns around, baffled — and there she stands, tall and elegant, looking perfectly incongruous in the starched atmosphere of the school infirmary: Sirius' mother, wearing floor lenght robes of dark silk and a very concerned look on her handsome face. 

"Sirius," she says, bending down to examine her son's greenish complexion. "How are you, _mon chou_?" 

"I'm fine, Mother," says Sirius, in a tone that makes Remus feel very out of place. "I didn't think you were going to come see me. I'm really glad that you did." 

"Wild hippogriffs couldn't keep me away," says Mrs Black, smoothing Sirius' hair with a gesture that echoes the one Remus performed a few minutes earlier. Remus, his heart thumping somewhere in his throat, frees his wrist from Sirius' grasp. Sirius looks up at him, surprised. 

"I'm just going to go," says Remus, getting to his feet. "I don't want to intrude. Mrs Black, nice to meet you." 

** 

"His mother? Really? How is she?" 

"Beautiful," says Remus, without thinking. "She looks just like..." _him_ , he's about to say, but then he catches himself. ".. just like that picture of her that Sirius has in his trunk." 

James snorts. 

"Yeah, Moony, that's how pictures generally work. Is she as horrid in person as Sirius says she is?" 

Remus bites his lip. 

"I don't know," he says eventually, deciding that his loyalty lies with Sirius. "I left as soon as she got there." 

"You should have stuck a Dungbomb down her robes, I bet that would have cheered Sirius right up." 

"Yeah, maybe," says Remus, thinking of Mrs Black's pale hand on her son's forehead. "Maybe."

**Author's Note:**

> Sirius' early family life fascinates me. _Mon chou_ (my cabbage) is a French term of endearment, for some unexplicable reason. My soothing voice is also an impression of my mom's soothing voice.


End file.
